Monthly Archives: August 2013

First, before I tell the cod liver tale, I want to share my new breakfast concoction that is total yummo. Total healthy. Plus a secret ingredient that makes it all worthwhile.

Karen’s Yogurt Supreme

Ready?

Fresh Blueberries

A couple of tablespoons of flax

A couple of tablespoons of Chia seed

Full Fat (always. If the fat is from a good source, it is terrific for us.) Organic PLAIN yogurt.

A couple of tablespoons of pumpkin seeds. Preferably soaked and dried.

A couple of tablespoons of sunflower seeds. Preferably soaked and dried.

About 8 drops of Stevia sweetener.

And now for the secret ingredient…..

The darkest chocolate you can find. Less sugar. Less processed.

A teaspoon (or more) of grated dark chocolate. Ooooh myyyy goodnessss. This breakfast is good. And thoroughly healthy. Every last drop.

Cod Liver Oil

I was reading an article about a gal who had extreme inflammation in her mouth. Her dentist had her on antibiotics over the course of a year and did not help her. Someone told her to take 1 1/2 t. cod liver in the morning and at night. Also, she was told to do “oil pulling” which is where you put gobs of oil in your mouth and “chew” it for like 15 minutes and spit it out. I have done this before and it is not pleasant, and made me gag. I do believe it has medicinal qualities but the buck has to stop somewhere and that is where it stops for me.

5 months ago I went into my dentist for a cleaning and told them that it sorta hurt to bite down on popcorn. Nothing else, just popcorn. Next thing I knew I was in the chair getting a filling and a crown right next to each other. I don’t know what they did in that process but I left the dentist not being able to chew on my right side at all. So, I was no longer sad about not being able to chew popcorn. I was sad about not being able to chew anything. I kept going back to Mr. Dentist and they ended up crowning my new filling. I now have two little crowns side by side. Kingy and Queeny. Fast forward 5 months… I still cannot chew on the right side.

When I read this gal’s story, I thought, I can at least try stepping up my cod liver intake from 1/4 teaspoon a day to 1 1/2 t. and see what happens. What happened? I can chew on my right side.

Moral of this story? Cod liver oil is an excellent anti-inflammatory. It healed my king and queen.

It is filled with Omega 3.

You’ve heard of Omega 6 and Omega 3. They are both wonderful for us….HOWEVER…… and I say that really loud…… We get Omega 6 from lots of foods. All the oils especially, which whether we know it or not, we eat so much of. Nuts, seeds, butter…..all good stuff right? Not good if you are not balancing it with Omega 3’s. It is necessary to keep those balanced in our bodies or we open up huge opportunities for chronic inflammation and what not.

Omega 3 foods? Flax. Beef. Fish. Walnuts. Tofu. Things we do not eat a ton of. Unless you’re like me, who is racing against the clock to see if I can eat 900 lbs. of beef before it goes bad in our fridge.

Cod liver oil is a great way to supplement so you can stay balanced. I am reaching a point in my vitamin supplement journey that if I had to give up all but one of my supplements, I would keep the cod liver oil.

Let me just say that in my research on cod liver oil…I have found most oil has been processed with heat and has synthetic vitamins added back in. NOT GOOD. Might as well not take it. It keeps coming back to the same brand. It is the best on the market. It is the bomb.

It is the real deal.

I may have said before, that I am bankin’ on donuts galore in heaven. Succulent cookies falling from the sky. Ice cream fed to me from my chaise lounge down by the river. I get my “version” of those things every so often but not as often as I would like. Until then, I fill in the holes with cod liver oil. I ain’t complainin’.

For as many people there are out there, I am fairly certain that there are that many definitions for liberalism and conservatism. Just as I am sure faith has as many definitions. I don’t think about either one often. I know what my value and belief system is and I think that is all I need to know.

Last weekend , we were out with friends for dinner. And a great one it was. The other Mrs. and I were talking deeply profound matters while the Mr.’s were talking about…hmmm….. I don’t know. She asked me if I thought I was a conservative Catholic. I said yes. She disagreed. She thought I must be liberal because I am not judgmental of the people who have another value or belief system than I. Then, I began wondering what the heck. We interrupted the probably not so deeply profound conversation of the men and I asked Pops if he thought I was liberal or conservative, thinking I may be off base and don’t know what I am. Like I said, I don’t think about it often. He said that I am most definitely conservative. That’s what I thought. You got it. I am blond alright.

I do not share my political views often since it would often come across as me vs. you. Or me good, you bad. Or me smart, you not. In today’s atmosphere, I do not mean to participate in division tactics. I will not begin here either. But it seems to me that we, as a culture, are more interested in judging each other rather than respecting our differences in our values and beliefs.

I have been all gobbly gooked since this conversation. I pose a few questions out into the thin air.

Am I wrong if I value something that you don’t? Or vice versa? Should I be chastised?

Is it my job to judge your values and beliefs? Or your job to judge mine?

Am I NOT doing my job if I don’t make a judgement?

Is it even important to form an opinion on every livin’ thing? Maybe let one slip by unnoticed.

Does judging cause separation? Division?

Because I feel strongly about something and I don’t talk about it, does it mean I really don’t feel strongly?

If I don’t speak out my values, am I considered tolerant of anything?

Is it enough to live out my values and beliefs? Does that speak louder than loud words?

Is judging each other too big a job for any one of us?

It is all very curious to me. I believe you think one way and I think another, but what now? Nothing now. That’s it.

Enough on liberalism and conservatism.

Liberation.

We have lived in this house 2 years. The builder put a door hitch on the inside of the closet. Because of the door hitch, I have not been able to open my underwear drawer more than three or four inches for two years.

No kidding. Who knows what is in that drawer? if I can’t reach it in the narrow opening, it doesn’t get reached.

UNTIL TODAY….

I took off the hitch. Excuse me, I should be saying latch. I took off the latch. Or hitch. My underwears drawer is open. After two years. I have been LIBERATED.

Some of you may know that Pops and I have felt that along with this here farm came a responsibility to glorify God. We felt it when we bought the property and have taken it very seriously. We want to share this property with others, that they may also come and be in nature and use the land for renewal, refreshment and relaxation. Our idea is to provide others with a place to retreat whether it be a formal, facilitated retreat, a meeting place for the good of others, or simply a place for families and friends to gather to renew their spirit with each other.

Phase I was to get us here and up and running. We have done that. Phase II is under way and thankfully is a whole lot less back-breaking….. but emotionally? The most exciting. When we bought the property we chose (or I think rather, He chose) a spot for our outdoor chapel. A place where one can go and pray. Lay down their sorrows. Lift up their thanks. And praise His Holy Name. The chapel will consist of a crucifix and a stone wall that you can belly up to and pray.

We began last year by making a clay model of the corpus and cut wood from our beloved front yard trees that died.

I took the model up to Indianapolis this Spring to have it cast in bronze at a foundry who work with artists. Was a totally cool place. Almost made me want to change mediums.

This week we put it all together and to the chapel area it went. The thought of having a place to worship on our property tickles me to no end. Maybe I can take my cot up there and have a sleep over.

Helper

We packed our tools into our gator when through and turned around to see this stunning sight.

The light at the base of the tree BLEW our mind. Thank you, God, for accepting our invitation. Pops and I were dumbstruck.

Phase III is a cabin for da people. God will provide when He thinks we are ready to handle it. My heart has been feeling a tickly sensation in the past few weeks. I wonder if it means we are ready. Or maybe He was readying me for today’s miracle.

We picked up Augie wandering the streets of our nearby village a week ago today on our way to church. The people of the village said he showed up about a week before and had been wandering since. Our county is known for dumping dogs. Can you imagine? The poor thing had ticks all over him and was very scared. The village people said we were the only people that he would come up to. He picked us, I guess. He has been introduced to all the Shieling village “people”. And he checks out fine. Although, I am missing a cat as we speak. ??

Today, we walked the property to get him more comfortable with the lay of the land.

Augie met the fishies.

Fishie

Virginia tried to teach him how to swim.

We have not been able to enjoy the lake as of recent. We have had white-faced hornets taking up residency on the dock. A few days ago, our good ol’ Mr. Shady showed up all decked out to give those old hornets a taste of their own medicine. He came donned in a bullet proof vest and what not. Of course. It comforts us to have Mr. Shady come around once a week to kill hornets, step on mice, moles and voles, among many other household chores. Is stepping on mice, moles and voles one of your household chores?

Mr. Shady

I am happy to report the dock is free and clear. Whew.

We discovered living cities of beings contained in large basketball sized bubbles in the lake. Augie was quite impressed by the lake visit.

Augie and I were amazed at how nicely the cow pasture has adjusted to becoming a shooting range for golf balls.

Golf ball hitting range

And we ended our tour by checking on our young apple trees that are fruiting for the first time this year. We are giving organic a go. They may not look like the big shiny apples in the store, but they taste every bit as delicious. I am relieved because I am not spraying them. Did you know apples are top on the list of “Dirty” produce? Meaning they are highly contaminated by chemicals if not organic. Although, I just learned a frightening factoid about organic apples and pears. Some farms use antibiotics on their “organic” fruit. More reason to buy as local as you can. If you can, try buying them from your back yard.

Enjoy the following list of the Dirty Dozen produce. Try to buy organic when purchasing the following foods:

Peaches

Apples

Sweet Bell Peppers

Celery

Nectarines

Strawberries (sometimes sprayed up to fifty times in its short little tiny life)

Cherries

Pears

Grapes (Imported)

Spinach

Lettuce

Potatoes

The 12 LEAST contaminated are:

Onions

Avocado

Sweet Corn (Frozen)

Pineapples

Mango

Asparagus

Sweet Peas (Frozen)

Kiwi Fruit

Bananas

Cabbage

Broccoli

Papaya

It was a glorious day on the farm. Augie is happy to be here and we are happy to have him. I would just like him to tell me where my precious black cat disappeared to .

Psalm 65

9 You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
13 The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.